Double Curve

1988

Since the early 1950s, Ellsworth Kelly has worked with pure geometric forms in sculpture, painting, and prints. Double Curve consists of two 18-foot-high gently curving bronze arcs. The artist made the arcs deliberately two-dimensional--when you look at them from the side they almost disappear. The sculpture itself seems like one of his paintings translated to three-dimensional form. The curves of the forms are rigorously controlled, setting up a subtle tension between the two arcs, which nearly touch in the center. Kelly works not only with geometric shapes, but with the space surrounding the forms. For instance, Double Curve relies on the space existing between the arcs for the sculpture to achieve a sense of tension or rhythm. This piece provides an excellent example of the artist's spare, geometric style.